According to Stats SA, the percentage of adults who are functionally illiterate is expected to decline from 28.5% in 2002 to 8.7% in 2025.
Despite major improvements in access to education over the past two decades, almost half of South African adults still do not have a matriculation qualification, while millions of children rely on no-fee schools and government food schemes.
New data from Statistics South Africa paints a mixed picture of the country's education system in 2025.
This points to progress in literacy and school access, but also highlights persistent inequality and increasing dependence on state support.
These findings are included in the latest General Household Survey (GHS) released this week, which compares trends between 2002 and 2025.
Nearly half of adults still unmatriculated
The survey found that approximately 18.9 million South Africans aged 20 and older did not have a Grade 12 qualification in 2025.
This means that despite improvements over the last 23 years, 47.1% of adults still lack matriculation.
In 2002, about 69.5% of adults did not have matriculation qualifications, indicating progress in educational attainment.
The number of adults with Year 12 qualifications almost tripled over the same period.
In 2002, approximately 5.4 million adults matriculated. By 2025, this number will increase to 14.5 million.
Post-school attainment also improved significantly, increasing from 2.3 million adults in 2002 to 6.7 million in 2025.
More students rely on state-funded education
The survey also highlights the increasing dependence on government-funded education.
In 2009, 46.8% of students enrolled in fee-free schools. By 2025, this figure will increase to 65.1%.
Meanwhile, the percentage of pupils attending fee-paying schools fell from 53.2% to 34.9%.
Government food schemes have also expanded significantly in the last few years.
In 2009, approximately 6.6 million pupils benefited from school nutrition programmes. By 2025, this number will exceed 10.3 million.
The percentage of eligible students receiving meals increases from 65.1% in 2009 to 78.4% in 2025.
Functional illiteracy declines
Data shows improvement in literacy levels among adults aged 20 and above.
According to Stats SA, the percentage of adults who are functionally illiterate is expected to decline from 28.5% in 2002 to 8.7% in 2025.
The proportion of functionally literate adults increased from 71.5% to 91.3% over the same period.
However, approximately 3.5 million adults were still classified as functionally illiterate in 2025.
Early childhood education remains a concern
The most worrying findings of the survey relate to children under five years of age.
In 2025, only 36.3% of children in Grade R attended preschool, nursery school, crèche or education centres.
More than half stayed at home with parents or guardians instead of attending formal educational institutions.
What is worrying is that about 70% of children aged five and six do not go to school or any formal educational institution.
This age group has become the focus of recent education reforms, particularly the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act and the introduction of compulsory Grade R.
The BELLA Act, signed into law last year, aims to make grade R mandatory and strengthen oversight in schools.
The law is part of the government's broader effort to improve early childhood development outcomes and ensure children enter the schooling system earlier.
However, the latest Stats SA figures show that many young children are still falling behind even before they start formal schooling.
The data also raise questions about whether the education system has sufficient infrastructure, classrooms and qualified grade R teachers to support the expansion of compulsory early childhood education.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) admitted in July 2025 that more than 7,000 Grade R teachers across South Africa are not qualified to teach the grade.
There are 25 944 qualified Grade R teachers in the system.
The DBE also raised concerns about inequalities in class sizes, particularly where some schools use Afrikaans as the medium of instruction to keep class sizes as small as 24 pupils, while others remain overcrowded.
“Provincial education districts will have to introduce parallel medium schools to balance the number of learners in the districts,” it said at the time.
While South Africa has made significant progress in literacy and school access since 2002, data from 2025 shows that deep educational challenges still remain prevalent, especially among poor households and young children.